I remember a time in my life that I could not get released from the memory of wrong things I had done in the past. I could not forgive myself. I would cry out to God for forgiveness and could not get anywhere. I knew if I died I would go to HELL! The feeling was unbearable.

This was a very hard time in my life. My husband would come home and hear me crying out to God from outside. It was like my words were not going any further than the ceiling. I had no peace.

During this troubled time in my life we would visit my folks. My parents were very strong and dedicated to the Lord. While sitting around the table eating dinner, they would always talk about the Lord. If you weren’t living right the conviction and guilt would be terrible. On one particular occasion as the folks were sharing the Lord, I began sobbing uncontrollably from the tormenting guilt I was feeling.

My sweet Mother came and put her hand on my shoulder and started praying for me. Instantly, I saw a shadow leave me. I realized it was a demonic force and that the devil had a stronghold on me. Tormenting thoughts had harassed me constantly, trying to convince me that I was not forgiven and never would be.

I had believed the lie that Jesus would not forgive me and that Jesus did not love me anymore. I had been deceived and therefore condemnation was riding my back, always trying to bring me down. I even talked to myself and wondered how, or if, God could ever use me.

And so it is with most of us. What about you? If you let the enemy wreak havoc in your thought life, he will keep you from reaching out to people and seeing the move of God in people’s lives. When you don’t realize who you are in Christ, your faith will be crippled. If you don’t feel worthy to use your authority in Christ, then you won’t be doing it in the fullness of faith. Assurance will be lacking. The enemy works incessantly to convince people that they are unworthy of forgiveness. The devil tries to stop all of us from walking in the power of God here on earth.

Just as I was, many Christians today are still struggling and living in the past. This type of thinking results in a life of defeat. Too many are focusing on past sins more than acknowledging what Jesus has done.

If you don’t understand that you are a new creature in Christ, then you will have a serious problem. You will be hindered and held back from freely and confidently living out your real identity in Christ! You will be hesitant and feel unworthy to approach your Heavenly Father.

The enemy enjoys hammering God’s people and making them feel like a failure. The key to victory in this area is to know who you are in Christ and what He has done for you. Allow God’s Spirit to cleanse your conscience of past failures. God has forgiven you so forgive yourself and others.

God is a loving Father and He desires a genuine and personal relationship with us.

Jeremiah 29:11—“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” KJV

If you confess your faults, failure and sins, you can be forgiven! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, if you turn to God and confess your sins, He will forgive you of ALL unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” KJV

Proverbs 28:13—“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” KJV

How many souls are not being reached because we haven’t let go of past failures? How long will we still allow ourselves to live in agony and pain–allowing the enemy to win? It really is up to us what we choose to believe. Choose to believe what God says about you!

Will you believe the lie that you cannot be forgiven? Or, will you believe the truth of God’s Word and receive forgiveness? Failing to forgive yourself will put blinders on your spiritual eyesight quickly. It will cause you to see things through the eyes of guilt, shame and condemnation. This will ruin your faith and cause you to go blind spiritually.

Psalm 103:11-12—“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

Hebrews 8:12—“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

Thank God He forgives, sets the captives free and forgets our sins once they are forgiven! His mercy endures forever! I have found that in my life today, when I make a mistake I ask God right away to forgive me. I don’t allow the torment of false lies or self-condemnation to linger any more.

As a child of God, you are a new creation! Your past has been wiped away and you have been given a fresh start.

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Churches have blinders on today—“Jesus help us!” So many Christians haven’t been taught who they are in Christ. Many are living in the prison of guilt and shame and yet our Lord came to set us free!

We are living in the last days and Jesus is coming soon! We have a lot of work to do to get the Gospel out to those who have not heard. Let’s not allow the devil to destroy our lives anymore or our children’s lives. There are so many lost souls out there, so many who are hurting and confused and believing the lie the devil is telling them. Let’s reach out to them with our love and share God’s Word that will release them from the devil’s lies.

Forgiven? Yes, Yes, and Again Yes! Forgiveness is available to everyone through the Blood of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for you and me. Thank you Jesus!